SUN 11 JUL 99

Monkey Business at the Big Udon

The elevator doors open and I get in. Already inside is a bellhop who greets me by name. He then asks what I’ll be doing today. I tell him “I’m going to Mino-o”.

            “Mino-o – many monkeys,” he says.

            “Good, I’ll join them.”

            “No, no! Many monkeys, very mean, very hungry.” He warns while making slashing motions with his arms.

            “Good, I’ll especially enjoy joining them.”

I walk to the Hankyu station and buy a ticket for ¥260. I take the express train on track four towards Takarazuka and get off at Ishibashi. I cross over to the other side of the station and catch a shuttle train that dead-ends on separate tracks. Three stops later it reaches its other terminus, the Mino-o station.

Just to the east of the train station is a bus turnaround. I’m sure if I asked, I could find which bus goes up the hill to the Visitors’ Center above Minoh Falls. I could then descend by foot. But hey! I’m a guy. I don’t ask. So I hoof it uphill.

I can’t help but notice some features regarding the way people dress for the occasion. For one, it seems that the older one gets, the more likely it is that one will wear one of these floppy cloth hats. It seems to be a visual cue for “outdoorsmanship”. Carried to extremes is this chap who has: walking boots, knee-length socks, walking pants cinched below the knees, a khaki-colored plaid long-sleeved shirt, a drab olive sporting vest, a camouflage patterned floppy hat with several pins on it, a tummy pack, a day pack, and a back pack. Everything one needs for a 2.8km (1.7m) hike up a paved road. In contrast, a number of ladies walk with parasols.

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The walk itself is along a gradual rise in a canyon with a substantial stream at the base. The primary objective is the falls. The first portion of the walk is marked more by the feathery maples with their delicate leaves. Further up are evergreens, perhaps hemlocks that rise over 100 feet tall and have a bark similar to redwoods, but much finer in texture. Ferns and mosses are everywhere. The welcoming feature today is that it is a number of degrees cooler here in the forest than in the city.

From the train station, the walk proceeds to the north for a couple of souvenir shop-lined blocks. Many of the figurines here are of monkeys. At most shops there is a cooking station where someone is stirring stuff in a bowl. They are making a confection which begins with dipping maple leaves in a sweetened batter and then frying it.

Briefly, the trail continues to the right, while to the left are elevators that go up to the Minoh Hotel. For ¥100, I ride some 100 feet up, cross a bridge to the hotel, and get a good view back towards Osaka. At the hotel are a variety of spa facilities. I look for an alternative connection back to the trail, but cannot readily find one—at least not one marked in English. Back down the elevator I go.

About a third of the way up the trail is the Insectarium. It was founded because of the extent and variety of insect life in the canyon. ¥260 gets me in the door. I’m even given an English version of the literature. The first few exhibits inside are geared more towards kids and tend to be interactive. The bulk of the building is given up to box after box of pinned and mounted insects. One in particular startles me—it is of a scarab-like beetle that is iridescent gold—plusiotis aurigans. I can now understand why the ancient Egyptians valued it: it really looks like it is made of gold.

Towards the end, I go into the butterfly house. For a brief while I have all the butterflies fluttering about all to myself. I stop to look at one poor fella with an injured wing. But he is still resplendent with the deep iridescent blue of his wings. Then up runs a three-year-old who wants to clap him between his hands. Fortunately his father stops him just in time.

On up the trail is the Ryuanji Temple. It was founded by an ascetic, who “trained himself by standing under the waterfall”, the literature says. It neglects to say what he trained himself for.

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Eventually, I reach the falls, which cascade down some 100 feet into a pool. Before it is a collection of vendors, selling mochi, corn on the cob, grilled fish on a stick (about the size of the fish in the stream), beverages, and souvenirs. I cool down with a beer while sitting on a second floor concrete deck with a rain roof. One can not be sheltered enough when one is in the great outdoors.

I work my way back down, pleased with myself that I observed all of those do-not-feed-the-monkeys signs. Come to think of it, I didn’t see a single monkey. Perhaps it was the same way with the insects, of which I also saw virtually none. A number of people on the trail had butterfly nets. My answer for the missing monkeys came at the train station. There on the east side of the station is a Wendy’s. Those square things in the buns—are they really beef?

It all brings back to mind a minivan that was parked up by one of the souvenir vendors. The manufacturer’s stencil on the side read: “MU Van”. In fine print below that, it read: “Mysterious Utility”. Is this the vehicle of choice for fatalists— “What’s the use”? Or, after peeking into the window, is this vehicle for monkey business? If so, the monkeys need to be fairly short to fit. So, yes, its utility still remains a mystery.